Several types of optical networks currently exist. Many of these networks are configured with asymmetrical upstream and downstream bandwidth such that the downstream bandwidth is not equal to the upstream bandwidth. More specifically, in many of these networks the downstream bandwidth that extends from the network to the customer is greater than the upstream bandwidth that extends from the customer to the network. For example, a Broadband Passive Optical Network (BPON) system provides 622 Megabits per second (Mbps) of downstream bandwidth and 155 Mbps of upstream bandwidth. Similarly, a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) system provides 2.4 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of downstream bandwidth and 1.2 Gbps of upstream bandwidth. The asymmetrical bandwidth may be even more pronounced in other networks, such as a Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) network in which the downstream bandwidth is ten times larger than the upstream bandwidth.
Networks with asymmetrical bandwidths are not always desirable. For example, many interactive services such as voice, video conferencing, file exchange, or gaming are symmetric by nature. The Internet traffic due to peer-to-peer file sharing is also symmetric. Moreover, while some network communications, such as web browsing, may appear to be asymmetrical, the actual machine-to-machine traffic may be less asymmetric due to the network protocol overheads that are exchanged between the machines. Finally, asymmetrical bandwidth may be undesirable because, many network switching and processing devices are designed with symmetric interfaces. For example, a Gigabit Ethernet switch may have a plurality of ports, each of which provides 1 Gbps output and 1 Gbps input. When such switches are employed in a network with asymmetric bandwidth, some of the intrinsic capability of the network switching and processing devices is wasted. Consequently, a need exists for a method for increasing the symmetry of the upstream and downstream bandwidth in a network.